Saturday, February 09, 2019

Back Home From Costa Rica

     There are many pictures yet to be downloaded and edited, and a full account of our trip will follow, but here is a glimpse of a couple of birds that we saw frequently in Costa Rica, in fact almost every day.They are both members of the large family Tyrannidae or Tyrant Flycatchers.
     Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) is a familiar species to anyone who has travelled through Central America or the northern regions of South America. Affectionately referred to as TK, little attention is paid to it due to its familiarity, but it is a very handsome bird indeed.



     It is at home in a wide variety of habitats, often favouring sites close to water. It is almost exclusively insectivorous, with a marked preference for hymenopterans, dragonflies and butterflies. It will not pass up other insect prey, however, and at least some fruit is consumed.



     Tropical Kingbirds sally forth from a perch to capture passing prey, generally preferring a high vantage point, although they can sometimes be seen on low fences.



     Small insects are consumed in the air when captured but larger prey is taken back to a perch to be beaten against a branch before being eaten.
     The second ubiquitous flycatcher is the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus), a species with a wide range, extending from the southern United States (mainly Texas) through Central America and a good part of South America.



     Kiskadees occupy a broad range of habitats and are well adapted to areas of human settlement. As opportunistic feeders they no doubt find urbanization advantageous in many instances.



     The diet of this species is highly variable. It comprises mainly insects and fruit, but also includes small vertebrates including the nestlings of smaller species, lizards, snakes, fish, tadpoles, frogs and even small rodents. Fish are caught by plunge diving, much in the manner of a kingfisher.
     The nest is a bulky, domed structure with a side entrance and we were fortunate to see this one on a utility pole at Caño Negro.



     These are just two of the many fascinating species occurring in Costa Rica. I hope I have whetted your appetite for more to come.
David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

47 comments:

  1. Welcome back, David! Beautiful photos from Costa Rica. The Great Kiskadee was very pretty.

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  2. Hari OM
    duly whetted...bring it on!!! YAM xx (...welcome home, BTW &*>)

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  3. Very beautiful birds. Have a nice weekend

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  4. Hello, both birds have some pretty yellow colors. Great captures of the Tropical Kingbird and the Great Kiskadee. These photos are wonderful and a great start. I am looking forward to your trip report and photos. Happy weekend!

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  5. N
    Always nice to come back home, isn't it? I loved the previous (cold weather) post. What a weather difference where you went to on this trip.
    Love the Kiskadee in its nest...on a Utility pole of all things due to lots of branches so I figured they must use trees for their posts.
    Looking forward to seeing more from the trip.

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  6. Appetite assuredly whetted.
    Welcome back - and thank you for sharing these charmers.

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  7. Welcom back from Costa Rica, David. Beautiful photos as always. The Tropical Kingbird in the first photo looks very proud to have its photo taken. Looking forward to seeing more photos from your trip. Have a wonderful day!

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  8. Beautiful the Tropical Kingbird, that one is the best this year.

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  9. It's good to see you safely back, David, and based on this delightful post I suspect that we have some more real treats in store.

    The Tropical Kingbird is, indeed, a very handsome bird. To my mind, less so the Great Kiskadee, although it is a tad more spectacular. I found your account of both these birds very interesting too - thank you.

    My love to you and Miriam - - - Richard

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  10. They are both beautiful birds!

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  11. Hi David,

    Good to read you have returned safely, I also imagine its good to return to some cooler weather with less humidity.

    Super image of both the Tropical Kingbird and Great Kiskadee, both read as interesting subjects and also colourful to see, look forward to your future posts and images.

    All the best, John

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  12. Well, I knew you would see wonderful birds on your visit but when this post opened and I saw that tropical kingbird, I think you probably heard me gasp way up in your neck of the woods. It's a wonderful photo and of course the subject is beautiful. Looks like the start of a wonderful holiday.

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  13. Hola David, estoy encantada de poder disfrutar de tan hermosas aves, la información estupenda y las fotos espectaculares, muchas gracias. Un fuerte abrazo.

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  14. We saw the Kingbird in Nevis last Christmas and I so enjoyed watching it. So wish we could have been in Costa Rica, the weather would have suited me well though I think it was a tad hot for you perhaps 😊 Have a good Sunday, Diane

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    1. Past about 10h:00 I found the weather quite unpleasant, Diane. Even when there was a bit of a breeze it simply moved the hot air around.

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  15. Good to read you again, back from another fascinating trip, I hope to see the winged wonders of Costa Rica and the detailed account of the trip, as you have us well used.
    The two species are very common where I live, including Tyrannus melancholicus, which migrates to the center of Argentina, where it reproduces and is quite frequent

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  16. Buenas noches amigo David, el apetito está más que abierto después de este pequeño aperitivo que nos has servido. Preciosos pájaros con muy bellos colores y como tantos otros que se van adaptando a vivir entre el ser humano a fin de facilitar un poco la comida.
    Las fotos son preciosas. Seguro que lo habéis pasado muy bien en Costa Rica, aunque la diferencia de clima seguro la habéis acusado.
    Un fuerte abrazo querido amigo.

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  17. I'm glad you were in Costa Rica because I met birds I have never seen before. Both of them delight me. Greetings.

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  18. Hi David, Welcome back, and off to a great start. I was able to see the Tropical in the Lower Rio Grand Valley of TX and the G. Kiskadee. It was so exciting!! Look'n forward to more of your Costa Rica trip.

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  19. Great birds - I'l love to see either. More pictures please.

    Would I correct in assuming that the change in weather is both a bit of a shock and a delight?

    Cheers - Stewart M -Melbourne

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  20. I think that shock and delight just about sums it up, Stewart. Will drop you a line tomorrow.

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  21. Lovely birds, interesting to see the nest on that pole.

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  22. A trip with excellent memories!

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  23. Colorful and beautiful bird! It seems that on the first photograph it is posing for you.
    Welcome back, David! We all are looking forward to your posts with wonderful birds!

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  24. Welcome back from Costa Rica.
    Very interesting to see them, yes, such handsome and charming birds.
    And, lovely edition of your photos.I like it.

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  25. Välkommen tillbaka David, kanske något av en chock att återvända till det kalla vädret som råder i Canada just nu. Jag följer världscupen i skidskytte som nu i helgen befinner sig i Canmore och de har fått ställa in några tävlingar på grund av kylan.

    Jag uppskattar mycket att få ta del av dina kunskaper om enskilda fågelarter, fåglar jag aldrig kommer att se i verkligheten men som blir så verkliga genom dina detaljerade berättelser. Bilden på fågelboet med en av föräldrarna är fin! Jag förstår att du varit med om ett riktigt äventyr igen och att du har ett gediget material att sortera, både i datorn och i minnet.

    En sak till som jag bara måste säga, så klok du är som gör det du helst av allt vill göra och som ger dig så mycket upplevelser och glädje.

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  26. Good Morning and Welcome Back David. Wake up, you have a blog to do. It was pretty clever to escape the worst of the weather that we read about in the news.

    That TK is rather lovely, as is the Kiskadee. Two birds alone that almost merit a trip to Central America. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your pictures and reading of you coffee stops.

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  27. Los dos son preciosos, me encantan. Besitos.

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  28. Hi David.

    Beautiful birds, what beautiful colors.

    Groettie from Patricia.

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  29. Hi David,
    Back in Canada you probably expereince a pleasant cooling down after the in CR. The kiskadee is a bird we saw often in Patagonia, so it has a wide range of countries where they feel at home. Many years ago I visited CR, so you can imagine I look forward to your coming posts about this fascinating country.
    Greetings, Kees

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  30. Hola David.

    Un placer leerte nuevamente, esta entrada es un buen "aperitivo" ya que seguro que fotografiaste a decenas de aves en ese paraíso llamado Costa Rica.

    Pura vida.

    Un saludo,

    Rafa.

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  31. Well, David, thank you for your comments on my blog, that is your opinion. Our cats do not decimate the songbird population. Our birds are too smart. Besides, we have a hearty population of blue jays, chickadees, and they are smarter than you give them credit for. When the cats approach, they flee.
    We don't know how many songbirds there are, nor how many outdoor cats. It all depends upon one's location, season, climate and weather. When we go walkies in the forest in the snow and -12 C. temperatures, there aren't any birds.
    We can estimate it, but that isn't data. This is data. Our cats are mostly after rodents, which abound.

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    1. It is not a question of opinion. Study after study after study has confirmed it. See for example: https://www.audubon.org/news/cats-pose-even-bigger-threat-birds-previously-thought
      Few cat owners admit that their cats take songbirds - but they do!

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  32. Hi David, the first photo is wonderful! What a handsome species! I'm very fond of flycatchers, they always look so friendly. Hope to see more of your Costa Rica birds soon.

    Best regards,
    Marianne

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  33. Welcome back, you certainly visit some wonderful places.
    I enjoyed seeing these photographs from Costa Rica :)

    All the best Jan

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  34. What a good time of year to visit Costa Rica. It is a beautiful country. There are so many fabulous birds. Where in Costa Rica did you travel to? Happy new week.

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    1. A full trip report will follow, but we stayed principally with friends who had rented a house at Playa del Coco for two months, with side trips to Carara National Park, Palo Verde National Park, Monteverde and Caño Negro.

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  35. Beautiful birds !! I am glad that I can see these exotic birds!
    Greetings

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  36. I was fascinated by your description of the tropical kingbird's behavior. Our scissor-tailed flycatcher is, of course, also a member of the Tyrannidae, and its diet, method of feeding -- and tendency to tenderize dinner on a branch! -- seems almost identical. I've not yet seen a scissortail this year, but in a couple of months they'll begin to appear.

    The great kiskadee isn't at all familiar to me. I did think that 'Kiskadee' sounds as though it should be a city in Illinois, though the bird's probably more attractive than the city would be. I'm glad you're home safely, and I'm certainly looking forward to reading more about your trip.

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    1. The best place I know of in Texas to see Great Kiskadee is the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, near Alamo, TX.

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  37. Welcome back...looking forward to your trip account !

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  38. Most wonderful birds and I understood earlier that you have been in a very warm and tropical country with amazing birds. These ones are stunning David. I wonder what other birds you encountert.
    Regards,
    Roos

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  39. Hi David,
    It certainly whetted my appetite for more to come.!! Beautiful birds!
    Best regards, Maria

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  40. Hello David,
    I am already in color when I see your open picture of this beautiful Tropical Kingbird! Great beautiful colors and super beautiful drawing in the feathers. You could really make some nice pictures of it and even the bird on its nest! This is nevertheless grandiose!
    I am very curious about the other photos of your trip. This post was already a joy to view (although I did get a bit green!)
    Kind regards, Helma xx

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